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9th Annual Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care, Jan 2010

Submitted by sarah on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 10:31am

The 9th Annual NOFA Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care will be held in four states in 2010. The course will be offered in Massachusetts and Connecticut in January and in New York and Rhode Island in February.

Newburyport, MA January 13, 14, 15, 19, 20

New Haven, CT January 21, 22, 25, 26, 27

Westchester County, NY Feb. 10, 11, 12, 15, 16

Providence, RI Feb. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

Sponsored and organized by the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Land Care Program, this is a five-day, (accreditation optional) intensive course designed to provide professionals with the education needed for an understanding of organic and sustainable landscaping from design to maintenance. The curriculum is based on Standards for Organic Land Care: Practices for Design and Maintenance of Ecological Landscapes, written by NOFA’s Organic Land Care Committee. These Standards, first published in 2001, are the first of their kind in the country.

Course faculty include respected scientists and experienced organic land care practitioners, who instruct the following classes: Principles and Procedures; Site Analysis, Design, and Maintenance; Rain Gardens/Storm Water Infiltration; Soil Health; the Soil Foodweb; Fertilizer and Soil Amendments; Composting; Lawns; Lawn Alternatives; Planting and Plant Care; Wetlands; Pest Management; Wildlife Management; Disease Control; Water Management; Mulches; Invasive Plants; Client Relations; and Running a Business. Four hands-on case studies are also included in the course.

At the end of the course, attendees will be able to incorporate methods and materials that promote sustainability, respect natural ecology and encourage the long-term health of the environment into the care of their own landscapes or ones that they manage. Those who pass the optional exam offered at the conclusion of the course can become NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals, who are able to use the NOFA Organic Land Care Logo, to be listed on the www.organiclandcare.net website and in the annual NOFA Guide to Organic Land Care and will have the opportunity to represent NOFA at organic land care events. Over 900 land care professionals from 18 states have taken NOFA’s course. These professionals include landscapers from large and small firms, landscape architects, garden center employees, arborists, municipal groundskeepers and property managers. Small business owners, entrepreneurs, homeowners, land trust and conservation organization staff and many others have also found the course extremely valuable.

CALENDAR LISTING: The 9th Annual NOFA Course in Organic Land Care will be held January 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 2010 at Parker River Wildlife Refuge, in Newburyport, MA ; January 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 2010 at the CT Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, CT; Feb. 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 2010 at Antun’s in Westchester County, NY; and Feb. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26,2010 at the Save the Bay Center, Providence, RI. This 5-day intensive course trains and accredits professionals to practice organic land care (caring for land without the use of synthetic pesticides or soil amendments). It is recommended for landscapers, designers, municipal and parks employees, horticulturists, master gardeners and entrepreneurs who are interested in sustainable landscaping. Visit www.organiclandcare.net for more information.